My Way Home Is Through You
by onetreehilloltlgirl
Summary: Chandler and Monica have been divorced for a year. What happens when an accident occurs and forces them to re-evaluate everything.
1. Break Even

My Way Home Is Through You

Summary: Chandler and Monica have been divorced for a year. What happens when an accident occurs and forces them to re-evaluate everything.

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nothing except for a couple characters who you will find out about soon ; )

Author's Note: This is an AU story, just warning you now. If you don't like them, then I'm sorry.

Chapter 1 - Break Even

_I'm still alive but I'm barely breathing,  
Just prayed to a god that I don't believe in,  
'Coz I got time while she got freedom,  
'Coz when a heart breaks  
no it don't break even._

Her best days will be some of my worst,  
She finally met a man that's gonna put her first,  
While I'm wide awake, she's no trouble sleeping,  
'Coz when a heart breaks  
no it don't break even, even no.

What am I supposed to do when the best part of me was always you  
What am I supposed to say when I'm all choked up and you're ok  
I'm falling to pieces  
I'm falling to pieces 

Chandler let out a deep sigh as he listened to the song playing on the radio. He couldn't believe how well it summed up his feelings and the situation he was in. It was if the lyrics had been written for him.

One year. He and Monica had been divorced for almost a year exactly. He still could believe all the had happened over the past couple of years. He had thought they were perfect. They were perfect until one day things just started spiraling out of control. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't even know why they had started fighting. He just knew that soon the fighting was non-stop and the next thing he knew, she was kicking him out of the house and he was being served with divorce papers.

Since then he had moved to a small condo across town and was living on his own, with the exception of when his kids visited him every other weekend.

Monica, on the other hand, had managed to somehow keep the house on only her income, and was now seeing somebody. Gavin something or other. He was the owner of a chain of fancy restaurants and had asked Monica to be head chef at one of them. It was the perfect opportunity for her as she was able to more or less make her own schedule, making it easier to balance out work with raising 3 kids.

Chandler had only met Gavin a handful of times and he hated him. It wasn't that he wasn't a nice guy, he was a little too nice. The only thing that kept Chandler from ripping the smug grin off his face whenever he saw him, was that Chandler knew Gavin was good with the kids. His two youngest really seemed to like the new man in their mother's life, his oldest, on the other hand, wasn't so taken with him.

Chandler had to smile at the thought of his kids. They were everything to him and it was because of them he had managed to make it this far. He peered at them asleep in the back seat of his SUV after their long day at the zoo, and couldn't help thinking about how lucky he was to have them.

His oldest daughter, Kayla, was 9 years old. She was her mother's clone in the looks area, with long dark hair, sapphire blue eyes and her mother's adorable dimples and smile. Her personality and sense of humor, however, were all her father. At the tender age of 9, Kayla came up with jokes that even Chandler couldn't come up with. She was a daddy's girl at heart and always had been, it was one of the reasons she didn't like Gavin much. He could only imagine how much fun she was going to be when she reached her teen years, especially considering she had both Monica's stubborn and competitive traits.

After Kayla was born, Chandler and Monica were told they probably would never be able to conceive another child because of some complications during Monica's labor. Content with the daughter they had, they stopped trying to have another baby and simply let nature take its course. When Kayla was 6 years old, a miracle occurred and Chandler and Monica found out they were expecting again, not just one baby but two.

The twins, Leana and Tyler, were now 3 years old. They both had sandy colored brown hair and deep blue eyes like Chandler and both had Monica's smile and dimples. Of the two, Tyler was the more outgoing one. He was a little "daredevil" as Monica like to call him, but being that Monica was his mother he knew his limits and rarely got into trouble. He was talkative and like his older sister, he could crack jokes like nobody elses business.

Leana or Lea, as she liked to be called, was the shy one. Taking after Monica more, personality wise, Lea from a young age exhibited signs of a deeply caring, almost nurturing nature. She loved helping others and her favorite parts of the day was when she could help Monica in the kitchen. Although quieter and more reserved then either of her siblings, Lea knew how to make her opinion known when she wanted to and with her big, round blue eyes and pouty lip, she also knew how to get her way when need be, not letting her older siblings push her around.

It was now nearing Sunday night, the night Chandler always dreaded. With his heavy work schedule, he found himself working long hours and rarely a day off. He and Monica had had to come up with a schedule to work around his hectic work life and as a result, the only time he had to spend with his kids was every second weekend from Thursdaym, after they got out of school or pre-school, until Sunday night. He had managed to get his bosses to give him every other Friday off, so that was usually their night to go out for a family dinner, usually consisting of McDonald's, a favorite among his kids. It was really the only time they got to eat junk food. What Monica fed them was so healthy, they rarely ever got sick. That wasn't a bad thing really, but Chandler felt that sometimes kids needed to be kids and that meant giving them a little junk food here and there.

He finally pulled up to the sidewalk of his former residence and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't see Gavin's car in the driveway. He didn't really want any run ins with him tonight, he wasn't in the mood. Right now all he wanted was the go home and maybe call Joey to come over for a beer and a Baywatch marathon. It wasn't that he didn't love spending time with his kids, but he had been working pretty well non-stop for the past 2 weeks and when he wasn't working, he was chasing after 3 kids, he never really had any time for himself.

He smiled slightly when he saw Monica poke her head out the door and wave a little. Since their divorce, they had started getting along a bit better, even to the point of becoming friends again, something for which Chandler was grateful. He had been afraid he would never get that back, more than anything else he had missed her friendship. Though he still loved her with all his heart and soul, he knew he was lucky they were as close as they were now and he treasured that.

Friendship for them, was the foundation of everything. They had been friends for close to 10 years before they got together and when they finally did get together, their friendship was still what kept their relationship so intact. They knew everything about eachother, could read one another better than anyone else, and because of that they knew all of eachother's weird traits and neurotic tendencies, something which oddly enough, made their relationship even stronger. They were able to work around all those things and some of those things balanced another out. For a long time, Chandler had a fear of commitment and Monica's ability to concentrate so fully on a relationship and her devotion, got him over that fear. Monica's obssession with cleaning and perfection was able to be downplayed (at least somewhat) by Chandler's more relaxed, easygoing way of living. These were just a few ways they balanced eachother out.

Monica made her way out to Chandler's SUV with a big smile on her face. He knew she was glad to have her kids home, she hated being away from them. Her hair was pulled back in a messy pony-tail and she was wearing an old pair of jeans and a light blue tank top, but he still thought she was beyond beautiful.

"Hey Mon." Chandler said as he stepped out of the vehicle and opened the door to get Lea out of her car seat, so that he could also let the sleepy Kayla out as well.

"Hey Chandler." She greeted with a smile at her ex. She pulled the door to the passenger side open and got Tyler out of his car seat. "Did you guys have a good weekend?" She asked as Chandler walked around the vehicle with Lea in one arm and his other arm wrapped around Kayla, guiding her as she was not yet fully awake.

"We sure did, didn't we Kay." He said giving the little girls a light squeeze, hoping to get some kind of reaction from her.

Kayla just smiled weekly at her mother and nodded.

"I guess the fact that they're completely worn out, means yes." Monica laughed. "Kayla sweetie, why don't you go inside and get ready for bed, while I talk to Daddy for a bit." Monica asked her oldest daughter who just nodded sleepily in return.

"I had a great time with them Mon, I always do." Chandler said sincerely. "We went to the zoo today which is why they are so tired now, although I'm kind of surprised Ty is so worn out. He had a pretty big lollipop before we left."

"Chandler." Monica said with an annoyed tone. "I don't like the kids eating those kinds of things, right before bed."

"Mon relax, some vendor at the zoo was giving them away for free and Tyler wanted one." Chandler shrugged.

"The girls didn't?" Monica asked surprised.

"No, it seems they've spent too much time around you." He joked.

"Not funny." Monica said although she laughed as well.

"Do you want me to take Lea and tuck her into bed?" Chandler asked, hoping she'd say yes.

Monica smiled and nodded appreciatively. "That'd be great, thanks."

Chandler grinned in return. "Alright Lean-bean, time to get ready for bed." He said as he shifted her into his other arm while walking into the house with Monica behind him.

"No bed, not tired." She said, waking up a little and rubbing her eyes.

Monica laughed at her youngest daughter. "Honey if your not tired then why are you yawning?"

Lea just shrugged before putting her head back on her father's shoulder, falling back to sleep almost immediately.

Chandler found Lea's favorite pair of pyjamas, light blue ones with polar bears on them, and put them on her. He tucked her into her large, princess style bed. Everything in her room was princessey. Her walls were pink with a white border. Her bed was a four poster bed with poles that made it look like a castle, with frilly lace all over. Her blankets pretty much matched her wall paper, pale pink and white. She had pictures of disney princesses everywhere and so many stuffed animals that Chandler lost count.

"Daddy will you tell me a story?" Lea asked as he was about to leave the room.

"I thought you were asleep." Chandler whispered to her.

Lea shook her head. "Not yet."

Chandler sighed. "Ok Princess." He smiled at his nickname for her. "What story would you like to hear?"

"Your's and Mommy's." Lea said with a large smile on her face.

Chandler laughed. "Which one?"

"The one about your purposal to Mommy and the big tree." Lea said.

Chandler smiled inwardly. He should have known, it was Lea's favorite story.

"Daddy your still here?" Kayla asked walking into her little sister's room.

Chandler and held out an arm for her, which she bounded into immediately. "Shouldn't you be in bed, it's a school night."

Kayla shrugged. "It's not my bed time yet, I don't want to go to bed at the same time as a 3 year old." She stated very matter of factly.

Chandler had to laugh at how adult she sounded but was saddened at the realization that in a few short years, she would pretty much be just that...an adult. "Want to hear a story Angel?" He asked Kayla who nodded eagerly, resting on the other side of her Dad.

"Ok so once upon a time, not so long ago there was a princess named Monica who was madly in love with a handsome, young man named Chandler..." He was cut off suddenly by Kayla.

"Daddy, your not funny." Kaya giggled.

He frowned. "You don't think I'm handsome or charming?" He asked tickling Kayla.

"No your just Daddy." Kayla answered between giggles.

Chandler snorted but chose to ignore his daughter's comments. "As I was saying Princess Monica was madly in love with Chandler and he loved her just as much. They were together for a few years when Chandler decided he wanted them to get married. On the day he decide to propose, he took her out to a fancy restaurant and just as he was about to propose, Princess Monica's ex-boyfriend the big tree named Richard, entered.."

"Why would Mommy date a tree?" Lea asked.

Chandler laughed. "Honey it's just a nickame I have for Richard, like I call you Princess or Kayla Angel, you understand?"

Lea nodded, although she was still slightly confused.

"Anyways Richard entered and immediately laid eyes on Princess Monica. Princess Monica decided to invite him and his girlfriend over to her and Chandler's table. They ended up spending the entire evening talking and Chandler was never able to propose." Chandler paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "The next day Chandler was talking to his good friend, Joey, and he decided that he wanted to surprise Princess Monica even more with his proposal so he came up with a plan to think he wouldn't want to marry her at all."

"Your plan was stupid, right Daddy?" Kayla laughed. "That's what Mommy says."

"Who's telling the story here kid? You or me." He laughed. "Chandler decided to tell Princess Monica all sorts of crazy things that made her think he didn't want anything to do with marriage. She got so confused by Chandler's actions and was even more confused when Richard told her he wanted to marry her that she got upset and ran off to see Richard. Chandler found out and raced to find her before she made the wrong decision. After searching for hours, Chandler thought he'd lost her and just when he was about to give up, he got back to his apartment to find Joey who told him Monica was gone. That was when Chandler truly thought it was over between them."

"But when you opened the door there was Mommy." Kayla said with a smile, knowing the story off by heart. "And she was beautiful, right Daddy."

Chandler nodded. "She sure was. He walked in and saw her and he knew everything would be alright again. She ended up down on one knee and proposed to him, but she couldn't make it all the way through her speech so he finished it off for her. They got engaged and a year later got married, had 3 amazing kids and lived happily ever after." Chandler finished. He looked down at Lea and seeing that she had fallen asleep somewhere in the middle of the story, he quietly got up, along with Kayla.

"Ready for bed now Kay?" He asked and she nodded. He picked her up and took her to her room to tuck her in. Her room was a lot different than her sisters. She was more of a Tomboy so her room was painted sky blue with puffy clouds eveywhere. Her bed was in one corner of the room, covered in stuffed animals. She had pictures of her favorite singers and bands and of her friends and family as well. Her room was much neater than her little sister's room, her clothes were in their proper place in the closet and her drawers and all of her books and cds were on the shelf.

"Daddy why'd you and Mommy get a divorce?" Kayla asked.

"Honey, you know why, we've talked about this." Chandler answered.

"I know you said you guys just stopped getting along but how come I hear Mommy in her room sometimes crying for you and you do it too. I heard you the other night." Kayla said.

"You heard that?" Chandler asked with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I know that must have confused you."

She nodded in agreement.

"Well Kay, sometimes I feel a little said and miss Mommy, and she feels the same way about me, but it doesn't mean were going to get back together. It just means we miss the way things used to be." He explained the best way he knew how.

"Then why don't you just get back together?" She asked as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"It's not that easy sweetie." He said standing up and kissing her on the head. "Time to get some shut eye." He whispered to her. "Night Angel, sleep well." He said and kissed her forehead.

"Love you Daddy." Kayla whispered sleepily.

"Love you too." Chandler said to her as he walked out of her room and into the hall, smiling slightly when he saw Monica staring at him. "How much of that did you hear?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Enough."

"I guess you heard me telling them our story?"

"Yeah." Monica said solemnly. "They ask me to tell it alot too."

"Sorry Mon." He apologized gently. "I know that must be hard for you."

Monica shook her head. "It's not that, it just makes me miss the way we used to be." She answered honestly, expecting him to be shocked, but he wasn't.

"I feel the same way." He told her. He decided it was time to change the subject before it became too emotional. He didn't want to cry in front of her, not anymore. "So where's the boyfriend?" He asked.

"Out of town on a business trip." Monica replied. "He won't be back for a week."

"Well that's good I guess, it'll give you some time alone with the kids." Chandler said and Monica nodded.

"Yeah, that'll be nice." She smiled. "Thanks for taking such good care of them this weekend. It's nice not to have to worry about them for awhile."

"It's nice to know you still trust me so much with them." Chandler said as they walked into the living room area.

"Your their father Chandler, of course I trust you with them. I know you would give your life for any one of them if need be, just as I would." Monica smiled at him.

"Well still, it means alot to me that even after all we've been through, all the stupid things we've said and done to eachother, that you still trust me that much." He said. "And thanks for letting me tuck the girls in. "I think I'll go say goodnight to Ty and head home."

Monica nodded. "Sure sounds good. Actually would you mind staying here for a half hour or so? I want to run to the grocery store, I was supposed to go earlier but Rachel stopped by with Emma and well you know how she is."

Chandler laughed understandingly. "Of course, never shuts up. I'd be happy to."

Monica nodded her appreciation and gathered her things, waved goodbye and was out the door.

An hour later Chandler sat anxiously on the living room couch. He was extremely worried, Monica had said she'd be gone a half hour. The grocery store was only a few minutes from her house and it was very unlike Monica to be late. She was the most punctual person he had ever met.

Suddenly the phone rang and Chandler rushed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Is this the husband of Monica Bing?" A rather shrill voice asked.

"Y..yes." Chandler stammered thinking that he should maybe correct himself and the other person, but then he decided to wait until they said what they needed to say.

"This is Nurse Peters calling from Beth Israel Hospital. Your wife was brought in a few minutes ago after a car accident." The nurse explained.

"Oh my god." Chandler said, his mind suddenly racing with what-ifs. "Is she ok? Please, god tell me she's ok. She's the mother of my children."

"I honestly don't know much, Mr Bing, I'm very sorry. I do know that she was brought in with a pretty nasty head injury." Nurse Peters explained.

"Oh." Chandler said. That could be bad, very bad. He thought to himself. "I will be right down. Thank you." And with that he hung up the phone and then picked it up again calling Rachel and informing her of what happened and asking her to look after the kids. He then raced out the door.


	2. Whatever It Takes

Ok guys, here is the second installment of this series. Thanks to sneaker89 and Exintaris for the reviews. They mean alot and were very helpful. I actually took some of your suggestions.

Disclaimer: I own the characters of Kayla, Lea and Tyler Bing and that is it. I do have to remember though to give credit for the lyrics in the previous chapter. The song was Break Even by The Script (one of my favorite songs).

Chapter 2 - Whatever It Takes

After waiting for Rachel to arrive to take care of the kids, Chandler raced to the hospital. He ran straight through the emergency doors and to the reception desk.

"May I help you?" The receptionist asked politely.

"Yes, I'm Chandler Bing. I'm looking for Monica Bing, I got a call from someone a little while ago saying she was brought in after a car accident." He explained.

The receptionist looked up Monica's name and nodded to let him know that Monica had, in fact, been admitted. "Mrs. Bing is in the ICU, that is all I can tell you." She said.

Chandler nodded appreciatively at her for her help before taking the elevator to the ICU wing. He had to smile a little at all the memories this hospital held for him and Monica. They had been here so many times over the years, it was as if it was a home away from home. Of course all those times had been in the maternity ward for the births of 10 kids over the years. Those births being his and Monica's three kids, Ross and Rachel's daughter Emma and Ross' son Ben, Phoebe and Mike's 2 kids, Sophie and Mike Jr. and of course when Phoebe had given birth to her brother's triplets (not as disturbing as it sounds.) The ICU wing was totally new to him though.

When the elevator finally reached the 3 floor he looked around and spotted the admittance desk with several nurses standing behind it talking.

"Excuse me." Chandler said and cleared his throat.

One nurse, a tall blonde with green eyes, looked at him and offered him a kind smile. Chandler couldn't help notice that she looked like a teenager. Her name tag read Shannon.

"Nurse Shannon? Your the one who called me." He said.

"Mr. Bing I assume?" She asked.

He nodded. "Is Monica ok?"

Nurse Shannon frowned. "I'm sorry Mr. Bing, as I told you on the phone, I don't know much. All I know is that they were concerned about her head when she came in, otherwise she seemed ok."

"Was she conscious?" Chandler asked. He hated having to drag information out of people.

"No, she was unconscious, but the EMT's said she was responsive to stimuli which is a good sign and her heart rate seemed normal. They are running tests on her as we speak. Her doctor should be right with you, if you just want to have a seat in the waiting area." She pointed to a small area with a couch, a couple chairs and a tv set.

He nodded before sitting down, suddenly feeling like he could pass out at any given moment. This was so surreal to him. Two hours ago Monica had been running out to do some errands, now she was in the hospital possibly fighting for her life.

Chandler knew he shouldn't think that way but every medical drama he had ever watched on tv was coming back to haunt him. Head injuries were quite often very serious. A person could be physically fine otherwise, but if one little thing was wrong with their brain, they could easily die. He shuddered at the thought. No way would that happen to Monica, it couldn't happen.

He was suddenly overcome with emotions as memories flooded him. Good times with Monica; London, their first I Love Yous, their engagement night, their wedding and the births of their children. Then some of the not so great times; the times leading up to their divorce. He shuddered at the memory of the night which had been the beginning of their problems. The night he had a huge mistake. A mistake which at the time he didn't know, would be one of the things that would cost him everything.

_18 months ago..._

_Monica paced back and fourth in the kitchen waiting for Chandler to arrive home. She checked the clock for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.11:00. _

_Finally deciding to call it a night, she blew out the candles that she had lit, packed the perfectly set out dinner away and headed for the stairs just as Chandler sauntered in, looking tired and worn._

_Monica turned and looked at him angrily as if waiting for some sort of explanation._

_"Mon, I'm so sorry." Chandler started to apologize but was interuppted before he could finish._

_"I don't want to hear it, Chandler." She said raising her voice an octave. "That's all I've heard from you lately is 'i'm sorry.'" _

_"Using airquotes...you must be mad." He said trying to lighten the mood, which evidently only proved to make Monica angrier._

_"That's it Chandler, go for humor just like you always do." She threw her hands up in exasperation._

_"Sorry." He apologized again. "I was working on a new idea for an ad and I was so caught up in what I was doing, I lost track of time."_

_"Right and the last few nights you've been busy with meetings." Monica sighed. "It's the same thing every night."_

_Chandler looked down at his feet. Feeling ashamed and knowing she was right, he nodded. "I know and you have no idea..."_

_"How sorry you are, I've heard it all before." Monica said and walked up the stairs to their bedroom. "Do you even realize what today is?"_

_"Tuesday?" He asked quickly trying to wrack his brain. _

_"Our anniversary." Monica huffed. "I even programmed it into your black berry." She said taking his phone from his pocket and opening it to the calendar to point it out._

_"Oh god.." Chandler gasped. How could he have forgetten their anniversary? In the 9 years they had been married, he had never once forgotten before. "I don't even know what to say."_

_"You know, I had this amazing night all planned out. I had Ross and Rachel take the kids for the night and considering that it was the first night they have had together in close to a month, believe me that was no easy feat." Monica paused to take a breath before continuing her rampage. "I had candles lit, I made you your favorite meal, I had music. It was going to be perfect." She was now close to tears and Chandler moved to comfort her, but she backed away from his grasp._

_"Mon, I know I've said this a hundred times tonight, but I'm am incredibly sorry. I can't believe I forgot tonight was our anniversary. I swear I remembered the other day, I got you a present and everything." He said hoping to make her feel even the slightest bit better._

_Monica looked at his disbelievingly. "Really?" She asked._

_He nodded. "It's in Kayla's dresser."_

_"You hid it in our 8 year old's room?" Monica said trying to hold back a small laugh that threatened to escape. "How did I not hear about this?"_

_Chandler smiled feeling the tension break at least a little. "Be right back." He went to Kayla's room, grabbed his gift and walked back to the master bedroom._

_"Here." He handed it to her._

_She tored open the envelope. It was 2 airplane tickets. "What's this?"_

_"It's 2 tickets to Paris." Chandler said._

_"Were going to Paris?" She gasped. "But how.."_

_"Well we've always said that we would go someday, I just figured now is the perfect time." Chandler explained._

_Monica grinned and threw her arms around Chandler's neck. "I can't believe this." She said pulling away from him. "A minute ago I was ready to kill you, now.."_

_"You just want to kiss me?" He asked jokingly, but also with a hint of hopefulness in his voice._

_Monica nodded and they shared the most passionate kiss they'd had in a long time. _

Chandler shook his head at the memory. That night had ended well enough but that had been just the beginning of their problems. He tried to push away the guilt that still plagued him. He knew a large part of the problems had been his fault, but Monica had also had her share of the blame and she knew it.

"Excuse me Sir, are you Mr. Bing?" A young man asked Chandler. The only way Chandler could tell he was a doctor was from the lab coat. He must have just graduated med school because there was no way he was a day of 30.

"Chandler." He said standing up and shaking the doctors hand.

"Pleased to meet you." The doctor offered a warm smile. "I'm Dr. Burke."

_Burke._ Chandler inwardly repeated the name over and over. It was just a coincidence that this doctor had the same last name as one of Monica's ex-boyfriends.

"Were you treating Monica Bing?" Chandler asked anxiously.

Dr. Burke nodded. "I was."

"How is she?"

"Well she seems to be just fine physically. She has a minor hairline fracture to her wrist and some scratches and bruises and given severity of the accident she was in, she is very lucky." Dr. Burke smiled reassuringly.

"Ok that's great." Chandler grinned obviously relieved, but he then frowned again. "When the nurse called she called you guys were worried about her head?"

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid that is still of some concern. She seems to have hit her head quite hard, the good thing is she is conscious and alert. She does obviously have a concussion, which is not at all unusual in a case like this."

"Well a concussion can be fixed easily." Chandler said.

"I agree. It's not that that is our major concern." Dr. Burke explained. "You see when your wife woke up, we asked her a series of questions. You know the questions everyone should know the answers to; her name, age, the date. She knew her name but when asked about the date, she thought it was 1999."

"But that's 11 years ago." Chandler stated confused.

"I know. It seems she may have a case of retrograde amnesia."

"That's something you see in soap operas." Chandler answered. "Not real life."

"Your right but it does happen sometimes, very rarely, but it does happen." Dr. Burke said assuredly. "What we need for you to do is to determine exactly what she remembers. Chances are if she thinks it is 1999, she has lost all memory of the last 11 years, but you never know."

"Ok I'll do it." Chandler said. "Is there a reason her mind may have wiped out just the last 11 years instead of everything?"

The doctor shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Like I said, sometimes these things just happen. The mind is a complicated matter, who knows why we forget some things and not others. Is there something that has happened in the last few years that may have caused her to want to forget?"

Chandler thought for a minute. "Well we did get a divorce a year ago, could that be it?"

"Your divorced?" Dr. Burke asked surprised. "I'm sorry, I just assumed that since you were here for her, you were married."

"It's ok. I'm here because I got a phone call saying something happened to Monica and all I could think was to get down here. We may be divorced, but it doesn't mean I don't still love her."

"Ok, well the divorce could very well be it. How long were you married?"

"9 years." Chandler replied.

"Hmm, so really everything she forgot are from the years you were married." Dr. Burke said. "Well then maybe her mind went back to a simpler time in her life."

Chandler nodded. "I guess that could be it, she has been under a lot of stress lately raising 3 kids and what not. But Monica loves her life now so I don't know why she would revert back into that mindset."

"Well for now, just tell her things she absolutely needs to know, don't tell her everything. There are things she needs to remember on her own."

"Ok, but she won't realize we are divorced. She won't be surprised when I tell her we were married because we were engaged 11 years ago, but she will be surprised about the divorce which could upset her." Chandler said.

The doctor nodded. "I'm afraid that's one of things you will have to avoid tell her for the time being."

"So what do I do for now? Act like nothing has happened over the last year?" Chandler asked frustratedly. "Like nothing has changed."

"Look Chandler, I am sorry it has to be this way but for the patient's recovery, I'm afraid that's what will have to be done." Dr. Burke said. "I wish there was an easier way, but I don't see one."

"Thanks Dr. Burke." Chandler said. "I'm going to see Monica now."


	3. Don't Forget To Remember Me

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the reviews, like I said before they are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.

Chapter 3:

Chandler stopped at the door before entering Monica's room, to take in a deep breath. He was suddenly overcome with anxiety and he was not sure how he was going to get through the next few minutes. He knew it would be hard. She was going to be so confused and she was going to expect things to be how they used to be, she didn't realize how drastically things had changed.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose gently, gathering his thoughts before pushing the door open slightly. He looked at towards the bed to see Monica sitting up and staring out the window in front of her.

"Hey." He greeted her gently, not wanting to startle her too much.

Monica looked over at him with a frown on her face, but upon seeing him she grinned widely. "Hi." She replied using her arms to lift herself up into an even higher sitting position. "It's ok for you to come in." She laughed noticing that he seemed to be glued to the door.

Chandler smiled slightly, grateful to hear her laughing because he knew in a few minutes, she was going to be hysterical. "How are you feeling?" He asked moving closer to the bed.

Monica shrugged. "I'm ok. I'm a little sore, especially my head. The doctors said I was in a car accident and I was lucky to be alive."

Chandler nodded. "They're right."

"Are you ok?" She asked. "You seem a little distant."

"I'm fine." He answered quickly. "Just worried about you is all."

"Aww come here." Monica said with a smile on her face as she moved over on the bed and held out her arm to him.

Chandler very reluctantly got on the bed beside her and let her hold him, relishing at the feeling of being in her arms again. It was a feeling he missed greatly. He knew he shouldn't be this happy, but if he didn't comply with her wishes, she would get even more confused.

"Mon, we need to talk." Chandler said after a moment of silence.

She nodded. "I know."

"You know? What do you know?" He asked curiously.

"That we need to talk about what happened." Monica said looking at him like he had sprouted two heads.

Chandler sighed, he thought she had remembered something. "How much do you remember before the accident?"

"I don't know." Monica shrugged. "I know I don't remember any part of the accident. The last thing I remember is sitting around the coffee table in our apartment with Rach and Phoeb's discussing our wedding plans."

Chandler gulped. She really didn't remember much at all. "Ok."

"Honey are you ok?" Monica asked gently, concern very evident in her voice.

Chandler had to keep a grin from appearing when she referred to him as 'honey'. It had been a long time since she had referred to him with that term of endearment.

"I'm fine." He assured her with a warm smile. "What exactly were the doctors asking you when you woke up?"

"They asked me my name and the date and then they got all weird and said they had to go talk to you." Monica explained. "What did they say to you?"

"Mon, sweetie...the doctors told me you think it's 1999." Chandler said.

Monica nodded. "That's because it is."

Chandler shook his head. "It's 2010."

"What?" Monica exclaimed, clearly in shock.

"The date...it's 2010." Chandler said and reached for a calendar on the bedside table to prove his point.

"My god." Monica said as she looked at the calendar. "But how? I've forgotten the last 11 years of my life."

Chandler nodded.

Monica then burst out laughing as Chandler gave her a confused look. He didn't understand why she was laughing, the situation certainly didn't call for it.

"Mon? Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

She nodded with a smile still on her face. "I'm just fine, you really had me going there you know." She giggled. "I know you liked to joke around and all but that went a little far, don't you think? Making me think I've forgotten the last 11 years of my life."

Chandler then understood that she must be in denial. "Mon, I would never joke about something as serious as this."

Monica frowned. "You mean this isn't a joke? It's actually 2010?"

He nodded but then decided he needed to do something more then just show her a calendar with the days date. He searched and found a small mirror in the tiny bathroom in her room. "Here look at this, if this doesn't convince you, then nothing will." He handed her the mirror.

She gasped as she studied her face. It was evident that she had aged. She didn't look bad, she just had a few more lines on her face especially around her eyes and mouth. She looked down at the rest of her body and realized that her 30 year old body was no more.

"I look awful." She exclaimed.

Chandler looked at her shocked. He couldn't believe she would say that. She may have aged, but she aged in a good way. She was as beautiful now as he could remember her being. "You do not, your gorgeous." He insisted to which she rolled her eyes.

"Your my husband, you have to say that." She said with a scoff. "Look at my forehead, wrinkles and my mouth..."

"They're beautiful." Chandler said cutting her off before she could degrade herself further. "Mon about what you said before..." He then took a minute and remembered the doctors instructions. He had to make things as normal for her as possible. If that meant having to pretend to be her husband for the time being, then so be it.

"Yeah?" Monica questioned.

"Nevermind, just don't put yourself down like that, I can't stand it." He took the hand that was closest to him and kissed it gently.

"I'm sorry, it's just...this is such a shock. I mean it feels like I'm in a dream or something, a dream I can't seem to wake up from." She tried to explain.

"I can't imagine how hard that must be." Chandler sympathized. He couldn't help but notice how innocent and fragile she looked right then, she looked like a kid.

Monica's eyes then widened as the realization of what had happened seemed to fully dawn on her. "Oh my god if it's 2010, that must mean were married." She looked at her hand to see her wedding ring, but there was nothing there. "We are married right? Where's my ring?"

Chandler tensed. He really hated lying to her, but he knew it was for her own good for the time being. He would tell her the truth where he could but the fact that they were divorced would surely upset her. "W..we are." He stammered. "Your ring is actually at the jewellers being polished." It was a bit of a stretch but he knew that if he told her the EMT's had taken it after the accident, she would think he had it and would ask him for it. "I will get it for you as soon as possible."

She seemed to by that excuse and nodded, seeming happy with the lie he had just told. He felt awful, but it was for the best.

"So tell me about our lives." She said suddenly excited at the prospect of learning where she was in life, if she had fulfilled all her wishes.

Chandler smiled at her sudden enthusiasm. He would tell her the things she needed to know, just as the doctor had asked that he do. "Well you, my dear, are a chef at a fancy restaurant."

She smiled at the thought and nodded. He was happy that she didn't seem to care for the name of it, that was something she needed to remember on her own.

"And you are?" She asked. "Still working at your data processing job?"

Chandler laughed and shook his head. "So even though you've forgotten everything about the last 11 years, you remember what my former job was? How come you can remember that now, but it took you forever to learn before."

Monica laughed, but chose to ignore his sarcasm. "So you quit that job?"

He nodded. "I'm in advertising now."

Monica smiled. "Well with your sense of humor, it sounds like that is a better suited job for you."

"Thank you." Chandler said sincerely. He remembered that it had been her who suggested he go into advertising in the first place, well that was one of the many things she had suggested.

"So what about the guys?" She asked. "Did Joey get his big break? Did Phoebe ever find love? Did Ross and Ross ever get over there stubborn pride and get back together?"

"Whoa slow down there." Chandler laughed. "For starters, Joey's living in LA with his girlfriend Alex and he is starring on a big tv show."

Monica's eyes widened. "Really? Which one?"

Chandler sighed, that was one of the details she should remember on her own. "Sorry Mon, the doctor told me only to tell you the stuff you really needed to know. Small details like that, you need to remember on your own."

Monica sighed. "Fine." She said sounding annoyed. "What about Phoeb's?"

Chandler smiled at the childish pout on her face. "She is married to a guy named Mike and they have two kids, Sophie and Mike Jr."

She smiled. "Good for Phoebe. Is he a good guy?"

Chandler nodded. "He's great, he's one of our best friends now."

"What about Ross and Rachel?" Monica asked.

"They're married, they live in a house near us and they have one daughter, our niece, Emma and of course Ben stays with them sometimes." Chandler was finding it surprisingly easy to bend the truth when it came to their personal lives. All he had to do was remember how it used to be.

"Wow, sounds like things have changed." Monica said but then remembered one of the things he had said. "You said we lived in a house right?"

Chandler nodded.

"Does that mean we have kids?" She questioned and realized that should have been one of the first things she thought to ask, especially considering how badly she wanted kids.

Chandler smiled at the mention of their kids and nodded. "We have 3, two girls and a boy" He realized that she would be upset for not remembering them, but he also knew that his kids could not be kept away from their mother and Monica needed to know about them, maybe more then she needed to know anything else.

"Three. Two girls and a boy" She repeated over and over in her head. It was her dream family. "Tell me about them, please. I need to know."

"Ok." Chandler hesitantly agreed. "Our oldest daughter is Kayla and she's 9 years old. She looks just like you but has my personality."

Monica laughed. "Should've figured. Kayla, I love that name." Suddenly something came to her.

_"Isn't she beautiful?" Monica whispered while holding their newborn daughter in her arms._

_"She's perfect, just like her Mommy." Chandler smiled at the baby who gave a little yawn. "I think she likes you."_

_Monica laughed. "Well I certainly hope so, since were going to be spending a lot of time together, aren't we sweetie." Monica cooed at the baby._

_"We need a name for this little angel." Chandler reminded her. "Angel?" He suggested._

_"Angel Bing?" Monica scrunched up her nose and shook her head. "It makes her sound like a stripper or something. That's a good nickname though." She smiled at him. "What about Kayla?"_

_"Kayla." Chandler repeated. "I like that."_

_"It means pure and beloved, both of which she is." Monica explained._

_"Well then it's perfect. What about Elizabeth for a middle name?" He asked. "I want her to have at least a part of your name."_

_"Kayla Elizabeth Bing." Monica grinned. "I love that. It's a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful baby."_

_"A beautiful baby who looks just like her beautiful mother." _

"Kayla Elizabeth Bing." Monica said as she came out of her trance.

Chandler looked at her surprised. "You remembered something?"

"I remembered when we picked out her name." Monica said as her eyes lit up. "She was so beautiful."

"She still is." Chandler said. "I know I'm biased, but it's true."

"What about our other two?" Monica asked.

"They're twins. Leana or Lea as we call her and Tyler. They're 3. Tyler looks just like me and Lea looks like both of us." Chandler said.

Monica smiled. "Sounds like were the perfect family. Can I see a picture?" She asked.

Chandler nodded and dug their family photo out of his wallet. "It was taken over a year ago so they all look a little different, but you'll get the idea."

Monica held the picture in both her hands and ran her fingers along the faces of the three kids in the picture. She couldn't believe it, those were her kids. The kids she had dreamt about having since she was 12 years old and now she couldn't even remember them.

Chandler could see that Monica was getting a little distressed so he decided it was time for a break. "Mon, you need to get some rest and I have some phone calls I have to make."Chandler urged.

Monica wiped the tears that poured out of her eyes and nodded reluctantly. "Ok, but before you go, can I have a kiss?" She asked.

Chandler gulped, now he really felt like he was taking advantage of the situation. He knew he would enjoy nothing more than kissing her and because of this he felt extremely guilty. She had no idea about what had gone on between them. He nodded obligingly making his way over to her. He smiled reassuringly at her and gently put his hand on the back of her head, kissing her forehead softly and then the tip of her nose before making his way to give her a gentle, but passionate kiss on the mouth. When he finally pulled away he noticed that Monica's eyes were still closed. She opened them after a few seconds.

"Just as I remember." She exclaimed.

Chandler had to laugh at the irony of her words. He was thinking the same thing. He kissed her forehead again before turning and heading for the door.

"Chandler?" Monica called just before he could leave. "I love you."

Chandler smiled nervously, hoping she couldn't see the guilt in his eyes but rather the love that he still felt for her. "Ditto." He replied with a small smile and walked out.

Author's Note: There you guys have it, Chapter 3. If you noticed I changed the timeline a little, it was for the purposes of the story. I know Chandler and Monica were not engaged in 1999. Hope you enjoyed it.


	4. Days Go By

Chapter 4

Over the next few days, Monica had to stay at the hospital for observation. She was healing fast, but they were still mildly concerned about her head injury. Her memories had not yet returned, but every once in a while she would get a quick flash of something. She had had a flash of hers and Chandler's wedding, as well as of the twins birth, but that was the end of it.

Chandler had been staying at the hospital pretty much the entire time and there wasn't a time in the last year, he could remember being happier, as odd as that was. He was still upset though, that she couldn't remember their kids or much of their life together; but being able to sit and talk to her about old times, was something he thoroughly enjoyed doing. He found he was torn between his feelings and the more time he spent with her, the harder it was to remember why they had ever gotten divorced in the first place. He knew he was still in love with her, he had never stopped and never would be able to. He shook his head as memories of their last night as an official couple crept into his mind.

_"Hey honey, I'm home." Chandler said as he entered the house and greeted her with the familiar phrase. _

_He looked towards the staircase and noticed his bags were leaning up against it. Concerned, he decided to see if Monica was upstairs._

_"Mon, Babe are you up here?" He called for her, receiving no greeting in return. "Are we going on a vacation or something? He joked. He entered their room to see her with her back turned to him and her head buried in her hands. "Honey?" _

_"Get out." Monica mumbled, so quietly that Chandler barely heard her._

_"What?" He asked confused._

_"Get out of this house." Monica said raising her voice slightly. "I don't want to fight in front of the kids, but you need to leave."_

_"What are you talking about Monica?" Chandler asked. "What happened?"_

_"You know exactly what happened, Chandler." She said crossly. _

_"No I really don't. Care to enlighten me?" He asked trying to lighten the mood a little._

_Monica scoffed. "You really have no idea?" She raised her hands in frustration. "Gah you are such a guy."_

_"Well I should certainly hope so." He retorted to her implication._

_She turned towards him and he could see that she had most definitely been crying. _

_His face turned downcast once again as he got worried. "Ok sweetie, your really going to have to tell me what happened."_

_"You, your what happened." She said angrily. "I saw you today...with her."_

_Now Chandler was really confused. "Who?"_

_"Kelly." Monica said. "I went to your office to see if you wanted to have lunch with me and I saw you with her, in there...kissing her."_

_"Kelly? My assistant Kelly?" He asked. "Honey what you saw...that was nothing. She kissed me on the cheek because today was her last day as my assistant, she got a better job at another company, she was saying goodbye."_

_Monica rolled her eyes. "That is such a pathetic excuse, Chandler."_

_Chandler could see she wasn't budging. "It meant absolutely nothing Mon. I only love you, you know that."_

_"No I don't know that." Monica said, her tone suddenly changing almost to one of defeat. "Not anymore."_

_"What are you talking about?" Chandler asked._

_"Your never home anymore and when you are, you never want to do anything except watch tv and go to bed. You don't have dinner with us anymore because your working so long, and now it all makes sense; you were with her." Monica said as tears once again pooled in her eyes._

_"That's not true. I spend plenty of time with you." Chandler said defensively._

_"Oh yeah? When?" Monica asked._

_Chandler thought about it and realized she was right. He had been working a lot of hours lately and he couldn't remember spending all that much time at home. Mainly because when he was at home, all they did was fight. "Oh god...Monica I'm so sorry, I know your right, but not about me being unfaithful to you, I could never do that. I do realize I've been working longer hours."_

_"Yeah, but if your not spending time with her, why aren't you here?" She asked confused. "You never used to spend this much time at work._

_"Mon, it has nothing to do with Kelly, trust me." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he started pacing. "Do you realize that anytime I do spend at home, we do nothing but fight?"_

_Monica started to say something but then stopped and slowly nodded, knowing he was right. _

_"Well that is why I am never here. I don't want to fight with you and I know that so long as I am at work, I can avoid doing that." He explained._

_"Oh." Was her only response for a minute. "You know what's odd, I don't even know what we fight about anymore. It's just a bunch of minor things really, but we do it all the time."_

_Chandler nodded in agreement. "I know, and we rarely used to fight, but lately...I don't know what's happening to us. I know I still love you." _

_Monica smiled for the first time that night. "I still love you to, which is why this is so hard."_

_"What?" Chandler asked and then it dawned on him. "I saw all my bags downstairs, your not suggesting what I think you are, are you?"_

_Monica slowly nodded. "I'm sorry, I just need some time to think...apart from you."_

_"Monica please, we can work whatever it is out." Chandler pleaded._

_Monica shook her head. "I can't do it anymore, I can't fight you anymore. We need to figure out what our problems are, before we can continue to live together, otherwise our problems will get bigger and bigger and that is something I want to avoid."_

_"So you just want me to leave?" He asked._

_"I'm sorry." She replied._

_He nodded regretfully. "Me too. I never thought you would be the one to give up on us." He said as he turned and hurriedly walked out the door._

_Monica followed him downstairs.. "I'm not giving up on us Chandler, if anything I'm fighting for us."_

_"Doesn't seem like it. It seems like you are trying to runaway, avoid the real issues." Chandler yelled._

_"I'm not, I just...we just need some time apart." She insisted stubbornly. "Look, we will work out a schedule with the kids, take some time for ourselves, and then we'll see."_

_"Fine." He muttered angrily under his breath. "Call me when you figure out that schedule." He said and with that, he picked up his bags and was out the door._

"Hey you, you ok?" Monica's voice broke through his thoughts. He turned to look at her.

"Hey your awake." He said with a smile. "Welcome back to consciousness, sleeping beauty."

Monica laughed. "Good to see that even under these circumstances, your sense of humor is still in tact."

"Well you know, it's all I'm good for." He joked.

Monica laughed and shook her head at him. "Your good for a lot more than that...sex for one thing."

Chandler's face fell at those words. He wasn't sure how to respond so he decided to laugh it off before she noticed anything. "Ha, yeah I guess."

"So the doctors seem to think they've done about as much as they can for me here, they want to discharge me tonight." Monica said.

"Well that's great." Chandler assured her, but then remembered something. "But before they do that, I've gotta talk to the kids, they still don't know what's going on."

Monica nodded. "What are you going to say to them?"

Chandler shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. Kayla will understand...I think, but Lea and Tyler are so young and Lea is really close to you."

"Really?" Monica asked surprised. "She's not a daddy's girl?"

"She can be when she wants something." Chandler said with a laugh. "But normally no, at least not as much as Kayla."

"I can't wait to meet them, or see them I should say." Monica said.

"They can't wait to see you either, they've missed you." Chandler got up, deciding he should go back to the house and explain to the kids what was going on. "I should get going." He said and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be back tonight to pick you up."

"I'll be waiting." Monica said with a smile, which Chandler returned.

Chandler arrived at his former home a little while later to find it in complete chaos. He could hear the noise before he even entered the house. Ross and Rachel had been staying with the kids for the last couple days, giving the kids at least a little sense of normality. Emma had, of course, had to stay at the house as well. Kayla had been ecstatic at the prospect of her best friend and cousin living with her for a couple days. She and Emma were basically the same age.

"Guys, I'm here." Chandler shouted upon entering the house, relieved to see that despite the noise, the house was still in relatively good shape, not Monica clean, but good enough.

"Daddy!" Kayla exclaimed as soon as she heard her father. She ran to him and jumped into his arms just as Lea and Tyler came running as well.

"Hi guys." He greeted the three.

"Daddy is Mommy with you?" Lea asked hopefully.

"Sorry sweetie, not just yet." He said as he patted her head.

"When is she coming home? We miss her." Tyler exclaimed.

"That's actually what I have to talk to you guys about." Chandler said. "Lets go sit down." He lead them into the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling Lea and Tyler onto his lap as Kayla sat next to him.

"Is Mommy ok?" Kayla asked. "We haven't seen her in a long time."

"Yeah it's been frever." Leah said dramatically.

"Frever." Tyler repeated.

Chandler smiled and nodded. "Yeah I know and were sorry about that, but remember how I told you guys Mommy had an accident so she had to stay at the hospital?"

They all nodded.

"Well her doctors decided today that she was ok to come home."

"Really?" Kayla asked lighting up. "She's coming home today?"

"Yep tonight." He said.

"YAY!" The three kids shouted.

"But there's something you guys need to know about Mommy first." Chandler said. "Do you guys know what amnesia is?"

Lea and Tyler shook their heads but Kayla looked at him thoughtfully. "Is that what happened to Olivia on Uncle Joey's old show? She forgot things. I think they called it amesia."

"Amnesia." Chandler corrected her. "But yeah your right."

"Mommy forgot everything?" Kayla asked worriedly.

"Not everything." Chandler said in an attempt to reassure her, but he knew it would be futile when she found out the truth. "Just the past 11 years."

"But that's our whole lives." Kayla said. "She forgot us?"

Chandler nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry sweetie, I know it's hard for you. It's hard for me to, but these things happen. The good thing is it's more than likely temporary."

"Mommy doesn't know us?" Tyler asked catching on.

"She does, she just doesn't know she does." Chandler explained.

"Huh?" All three kids said in unison.

"Mommy knows in her heart who you all are, but her head can't seem to remember, which is why we have to help her."

"How?" Lea asked.

"Well for starters, we need to help around the house, clean up after yourselves, try not to fight with eachother. Do you think you guys can handle that?" Chandler asked.

The three nodded.

"Ok." Chandler said with a smile. "In the mean time, there are going to be some changes around here for a little while."

"Like what?" Kayla asked.

"Well for one, since Mommy can't remember us getting divorced, I'm going to have to pretend were still married so I will have to move back in here."

"Yay!" Kayla said happily. "That means no Gavin."

Lea and Tyler both frowned at this. "But we like Gavin."

"More than Daddy?" Kayla asked her younger sibling. They shook their heads. "Then it's a good thing."

Chandler laughed at his daughter's outspokenness. "So I take it your ok with this?" They nodded in response. "So where exactly is your Aunt Rachel?"

"In the kitchen trying to make us dinner." Kayla rolled her eyes. "I think it would be better if we ate out. Emma's at her friend's house, so she doesn't have to eat Aunt Rachel's food."

Chandler made a face. "That means the kitchens going to be a mess. I'll tell you what, if you guys can convince Aunt Rachel to stop making dinner, clean up the kitchen, I will bring you something home for supper."

"McDonalds?" Tyler asked hopefully.

"We'll see." Chandler said with a laugh. "Now I want you guys to get started. I have to go back to the hospital to get Mommy."


	5. I'm Amazed By You

Chapter 5- I'm Amazed By You

Chandler walked back in to Monica's hospital room to find her up and dressed in some of the clothes he had brought her a few days ago from home. She was carefully putting all of her belongings into a small suitcase. Everything was organized and folded in a way only Monica could do and Chandler had to laugh at that fact. It was good to see that despite her memory loss, deep down she was still the same compulsive neat freak she always was.

"Hey there." Chandler said after he grew tired of watching her from against the door.

Monica turned and smiled at him. "Hi. I'm almost ready to go."

He nodded. "Take all the time you need."

"So did you talk to the kids? How did they take it? Are they angry with me for not remembering them?" Monica asked dying to know.

Chandler laughed. For some reason she always talked a mile a minute when she got nervous. He'd alway thought it was cute. "Ok first of all...slow down."

She stopped herself when she realized she was rambling. "Sorry." She blushed.

"It's ok." Chandler assured her. "I did talk to the kids and they seemed to understand, at least to the best of their ability. They're not angry with you at all, they understand you didn't mean for this to happen. It was an accident."

Monica breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid her kids would hate her for not remembering them. Then again they were very young, possibly too young to get much of a grip on the concept of amnesia.

"You know, you never actually did tell me, where is home?" Monica asked.

Chandler laughed. "Westchester."

Monica smiled. "The suburbs, just where I always dreamed I'd be living someday."

Chandler nodded. "After Kayla was born we decided there was no way we could raise a baby in the city."

"Makes sense. Do we live in a neighborhood with white picket fences?" Monica asked with a giggle.

"Some of the houses have them, though not all. It's not like we're living in a neighborhood like the Stepford Wives." Chandler exclaimed.

"The what?" Monica asked confused.

Chandler frowned and then felt like slapping himself upside the head for forgetting that that movie had come out only a few years ago, Monica had no idea what it was. "Sorry, it's a movie."

Monica laughed. "Ok then. You had me worried there for a second."

"So, my lady, are you ready to go?" Chandler asked and even offered her his arm.

"Since when did you become such a gentleman?" Monica joked, but took his arm nonetheless.

"Hey, I'll have you know I have always been this way. Maybe your memory's a little worse off then we thought." He retorted but then immediately regretted his words.

"What's wrong?" Monica asked worriedly at his sudden change in demeanor. They had just been joking around and having a great time and all of a sudden he was quiet.

"N..nothing." Chandler stammered. "I just...maybe it's a little too early for jokes about your memory."

Monica smiled at his thougtfulness. "Chandler, one of the things I've always loved about you is your ability to make light of any situation, no matter how bad it is. It's ok that we joke around, as a matter of fact, it's great that we're able to do this. It just tells me that things are going to be ok."

Tears pricked Chandler's eyes at her words. He was having the hardest time in the world keeping the truth from her; yet at the same time, he never wanted it to come out. He loved the fact that they were getting along better then they had since they were newlyweds, he loved that he was able to joke and talk to her like they were best friends again, most of all he just loved being around her. He knew his feelings for her now were stronger than they had been in years, not that he had ever stopped loving her, it was more like he was falling for her all over again.

"Thank you." He whispered as he kissed her cheek. "Now are we ready?"

Monica nodded, glad to see his good mood was returning. "Lead the way kind sir."

Half an hour later they pulled up in front of the house. Monica gasped when she saw the house. It was her dream house. It was a large two storey brick house with white shutters on all the windows, and a large white double door. The front yard was large with flower beds lining the sidewalk and two large pine trees joined by a swing. She could just imagine her and Chandler sitting out there on warm nights star-gazing.

"This is it?" Monica asked just to be certain.

Chandler had to smile. He knew what her reaction would be when she saw the house. "This is it." He reitarated for her.

"Wow." Monica said in amazement. "It's just like I dreamed."

"I know, you wouldn't not have this house." Chandler said, remembering her expression the first time they had ever saw this house.

"It's perfect." Monica said finally letting the shock wear off. "Can we go in?" She asked, but then blushed when she realized how stupid she must have sounded.

"It's your house." Chandler reminded her. "We can do what you want."

They climbed out of the SUV and Chandler grabbed her bag from the back seat, bringing it inside for her.

"Are the kids here?" Monica asked expecting to see 3 little kids running around everywhere.

"No I asked Rachel to take them over to her place for awhile to hang out with Emma. I just figured it might be a little easier for you to settle in without 3 kids bombarding you with questions and asking you things your not prepared to answer." He explained.

Monica nodded appreciatively. "Thank you."

"I'll call Rachel whenever you decide your ready to see them." Chandler said.

"Ok." Monica agreed as she checked out her surroundings. It was definitely her house. It was pretty much immaculate, well as immaculate as it could be with 3 kids. "Can I have the grand tour?"

Chandler laughed. "Of course." He took her arm gently as they stepped out of the foyer. He pointed to a large room on the left hand side just off the foyer. "That is the living room and on the other side of the foyer is the dining room and another small room which used to be my office." He lead her through a small hallway and into the kitchen.

Monica gasped at the kitchen. It was gigantic. It was the size of the living room and dining room combined and had entrances to both rooms on either side.

"This was half the reason you wanted this house." Chandler said. "You fell in love with this kitchen."

"I can see why." Monica laughed. "It's huge."

"Well it better be for a chef like you." He joked.

Monica smiled. "Ok let's see the rest of the house."

Chandler nodded and showed her the door off the kitchen which lead onto a large porch and into a large back yard as well. The back yard had 3 large trees along the back fence line and there was a tire swing of the centre tree. There was a swing set as well as a small blow up pool in the yard as well as more flowerbeds and a small fountain.

He lead her upstairs and showed her each of the kids rooms as well as the master bedroom and then to the basement with the family room and kids play room.

"This place is amazing." Monica said as they walked back upstairs. "I can see myself living here." _I just wish I could remember it. _Monica mumbled to herself.

As if reading her mind Chandler said "don't worry."

"Can you call Rachel and ask her to bring the kids over?" Monica asked.

"You sure you're ready?" Chandler asked slightly surprised. "I figured you would need a little more time to settle in.

"I'm sure, besides it would probably be good for the kids to be home to have some sense of normalcy, something they haven't had a lot of lately I'm sure." Monica said with a confident smile on her face.

Chandler was amazed at her ability to step into the role of a mother so quickly, even with her memory loss. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that that was who Monica was. She was a born mother. Even before they had kids, Monica was always the mother hen of their little group of friends, the one everyone always went to for advice, the one who was always the first to take care of someone who was ill or in crisis. It was second nature to her.

"You're right." Chandler agreed. "I'll go call Rachel right now and tell her to bring the kids over. Why don't you go hide upstairs and I will tell you when it's ok to come down. I need to make sure the kids understand what's going on first."

Monica nodded in agreement as she ascended the stairs, turning back once more to smile at Chandler, who was just standing there staring at her with a reassuring smile on her face. She knew everything would be ok so long as he kept looking at her that way.

10 minutes later Monica heard the door open and three distinctly different children's voices could be heard, followed by a voice she would know anywhere...Rachel's.

"Chandler, we're back." Rachel shouted over the noise.

Chandler walked into the foyer and smiled at his kids, all of whom were in some sort of argument. "Thanks again for taking care of them Rach." He said, his grin clearly showing his appreciation and gratitude.

"You're very welcome, Emma was glad to spend some time with her cousins." Rachel said. "Anyways, good luck with your handful. They've been in this same argument all afternoon."

Chandler laughed. He could only imagine what it could be about. His kids had minds of their own, and the fact that all three of them inherited Monica's stubbornness, really didn't help matters.

"I've got it from here." He assured her.

Rachel nodded. "Ok, tell Mon I'll call her later." Rachel said. She hadn't been able to spend as much time with Monica in the hospital as she had wanted so she was looking forward to being able to have some girl time with her friend.

"I will. See you later." Chandler said as he walked her to the door. He then turned back and looked at his kids, all three of whom had grown strangely quiet.

"Alright guys, what's going on?" Chandler asked. "Aunt Rachel says you've been fighting."

Kayla rolled her eyes, looking exactly like Monica as she did so. "Uh huh."

"What about?" Chandler asked.

"We were arguing over who would win in a fight Spongebob or Patrick." Kayla explained.

Chandler had to keep himself from bursting out laughing. He knew the argument would be over something like this, it always was. "Well from what I know of the Spongebob show, which isn't much, is that Spongebob and Patrick are best friends, so why would they fight?"

"It's a hypothical question Daddy." Tyler said.

"Hypothetical." Chander corrected his son. "And where did you learn that word?"

"Emma, but she learned it from Uncle Ross." Lea said.

Chandler rolled his eyes. _Of course._

"Well even so, it wouldn't matter who won the fight as long as they remained best friends." Chandler reasoned.

"Daddy, did you and Uncle Joey ever fight?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah of course we did Ty. We had a lot of fights, mostly over stupid little things, but the important thing is that we're still best friends today." Chandler said.

"I guess." Tyler said.

"That still doesn't settle the argument Daddy." Kayla stated. "Who do you think would win?"

"Look guys, I've got something even more important to talk to you guys about." Chandler said trying to change the subject.

"Is Mommy home?" Lea asked excitedly.

Chandler smiled and picked her up. "Yes Lean Bean, Mommy is home."

"YAY." They all cheered.

"Can we see her?" Kayla asked.

"She's right upstairs, but before you guys go bombarding her, you need to remember that Mommy just got out of the hospital so she's still fragile."

"What's fragile?" Lea asked.

"It just means we have to be extra careful with her. Ok?" He asked.

"Did she remember?" Kayla asked.

Chandler should his head. "Not yet guys, but maybe being home will help."

"We'll help her." Lea insisted.

"Yeah we'll tell her stories and make her remember." Tyler chimed in.

Chandler sighed. This was what he had been afraid of, the kids hounding Monica with questions and stories she didn't know. Before he could speak, Kayla interuppted him.

"Guys remember what Auntie Rachel said, we can't tell Mommy any stories because she needs to remember them on her own." Kayla explained as Chandler watched her amazed. She sounded so much older than 9.

"Then what can we tell her?" Tyler asked confusd.

"General stuff like your birthdays or your favorite color, if she asks a question you can answer it. Just don't tell her any stories, unless of course she remembers them on her own and then you can talk about them with her." Chandler said scratching his head. How was he supposed to explain this to three little kids when he could barely understand it himself.

But the three of them seemed to accept and understand what they were being told, so Chandler decided it was time to bring Monica down.

Monica, who had been standing behind a wall, listening to Chandler talk with their children, was amazed at how he interacted with them. She had always known he would be a good father someday, and he had now just proven it.

"Mon, you ready?" He asked as he called for her.

She drew in a deep breath, suddenly nervous. What if they didn't like the new or well the old her? What if she scared them or made them upset? She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn't help feeling this way. She slowly turned the corner to go down the stairs...

Sorry guys, I'm going to end it there for now. It's a bit of a cliffhanger, though not a big one. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I will try to have the next chapter up in the next few days. Thanks for reading and reviewing...please continue to do both :D


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